Of Floppy Ears And Granola Bars
by shippudenfanatic
Summary: This is just a little story about a puppy that follows Zack home. And who else to take it to but Angeal? The cutest piece of fluff you will ever read :


Of Floppy Ears and Granola Bars

**A/N:** First of all, I'd like to thank my fanfiction sensei, Chibipinkbunny. You're awesome, chibi! :D Also, I'd like to give a shout to Ohjay and Wierdsquirrelgirl. They helped a little too ^_^ Finally, I don't own any of the characters except the puppy, disclaimer stuff, ect. And now, without further ado, LET THE FLUFF ENSUE!

Aside from the sound of distant traffic and the gentle tap of footsteps, all was silent in the twilight-lit alleyway. The taps stopped as their creator halted, rearranging his jacket against the late autumn chill. Pushing a lock of spiky black hair behind his pierced ear, he continued on his way.

It wasn't long before the silence was broken by a curious scampering sound, so soft that Zack had to stop and wonder if it had only been his imagination. Then he heard another sound, far more piercing this time.

"Arf!"

Surprised, Zack spun around, his left hand reflexively reaching for the Fire materia attached to his belt before realizing that his supposed opponent was just a scrawny little puppy. She was a beagle with extremely stubby legs and long, floppy ears that dragged along the dirty ground. Zack thought that she couldn't be more than a few months old.

He crouched down and smiled at the pup. She pranced excitedly around in a circle, wagging her tail wildly.

"What's your name, huh?"

There were no tags or a collar to speak of around the young dog's neck; she must have been one of the many strays that lived in the slums and side streets of Midgar. Zack delicately scratched the beagle's neck, who whined and rolled over, baring her underside. He rubbed her now exposed belly, grinning from ear to ear. The puppy's leg started to shake. Zack chuckled, giving the puppy one last pat before rising to his full height and starting off again towards the ShinRa building. Silence fell around him again—at least, until he heard the sound of little feet pounding into the ground, running to catch up with him.

Shoulders sagging, he turned. The small creature was sitting in front of him, wagging her tail and panting. "You're not planning on leaving me alone, are you?" he murmured. The puppy cocked her head, and let out a little yip. A small, rueful smile crept over his face. "Alright, girl," he said, taking a granola bar out of his pocket. He unwrapped it and waved it in front of the young dog's nose before tossing it as far as he could down the alley from which he had come. "Fetch!" The pup barked and ran off to search for the potential treat. Satisfied that he'd just made a dog's day, Zack felt another smile tug at the corners of his lips as he finally started to make some progress towards his destination.

The last bit of light in the evening sky faded quickly by the time he jogged up the front steps of the ShinRa building, and the chilly temperature had dropped enough for even Zack to regret having so light a jacket on. He shivered, rubbing his arms in a futile attempt to warm them. Suddenly, he heard a small gasp and then a scuffling sound. Thinking that someone must have tripped, he quickly turned. It was the beagle from earlier. She had tripped over her long ears, and was now desperately trying to climb up the steep steps to where he stood.

Zack walked over and picked the pup up. "What are you doing here?" All he received in response was a little enthusiastic yip. He cradled her to his chest, feeling her shiver. _She must be freezing_, he thought. Biting his lip, he stared at the little creature looking up at him with those innocent and hopeful chestnut orbs. "You've definitely got the cute puppy look down," he told her softly. Then, making his decision, he took one last glance at the ShinRa building before tucking the beagle into his jacket and starting the long walk toward Sector 6.

XxXxXxXxX

Angeal closed his last mission report of the night with a sigh of relief. He stood from his writing desk, stretched, and glanced around his apartment while he put the reports into his laptop case for tomorrow morning. A faint smile started to play at his lips. It had been a long day, and he was glad to finally have some time to relax.

A loud knock at the door shattered the silence.

The door opened partially, and his spiky-headed student poked his head in, a wide smile on his face. "Hey, Angeal!"

Angeal looked curiously at him. "What are you doing here? Isn't it almost-"

He was interrupted by a small noise from the hallway outside of his apartment. He frowned. That sounded like…a bark…?

"Uh…" Zack pulled his head back into the hallway and closed the door. Angeal could hear him talking quietly on the other side of the door.

"…told you to be _quiet_ -"

Angeal walked over to the door and threw it open. Zack was crouched down in front of a little puppy. Her head was cocked to the side and her tail was wagging a mile a minute. The puppy immediately shot up and happily barked again as soon as she noticed Angeal. She pranced playfully around in a circle.

Angeal blinked in surprise, then sighed. "Zack."

Zack gave him a sheepish smile. "Erm, yeah?"

"Why?"

"Well, I was walking home and this little thing kept following me all the way up to ShinRa, and it was getting dark and she was shivering and I couldn't just leave her there, she would freeze-"

"And just what in the hell do you think I would do with a dog?"

The puppy was still wagging her tail, looking from Zack to Angeal in turn as if she understood the conversation.

"I…" Zack's shoulders sagged. "I don't really know…."

Angeal sighed again, looking at the ceiling. There it was again; that look where he seemed to be asking the heavens why he'd decided to look after the Gongagan boy.

Zack looked at him with pleading eyes. "Oh, come on, Angeal! Have a little heart! She won't be much trouble, I promise! And I'll put ads all over. Someone will take her home in no time!"

"Zack…"

Zack picked the puppy up off the ground and held her in front of Angeal's eyes. "How can you say no to these eyes?" A hint of a smile started to form on Angeal's face as they both gave him simultaneous puppy eyes.

Angeal groaned. "Fine. But if she makes a mess, you're cleaning it up."

Zack smiled widely. "I knew you'd let her stay!" He set her down by Angeal's foot.

Angeal chuckled. "Now get the hell out of here, I'll deal with you tomorrow."

Zack laughed with him as he closed the apartment door and started walking towards his apartment in the ShinRa building. _Yup, Zack, _he thought. _You've still got the good old charm._

XxXxXxXxX

Angeal laid on his living room couch, looking over the paper that Zack had given him earlier in the day. Zack had said that he'd finally found an interested couple who lived in Section 3, and had written their numbers down so that Angeal could call them.

He glanced over at the beagle. The past two weeks, she'd grown quite a bit, but she didn't look anywhere near growing into her ears. She was laying on a pillow in the corner, happily gnawing on a bone. Her stubby legs made it a little hard to keep a grip on the treat, however, and it kept sliding away from her. She growled at the bone, daring it to slip away again.

Angeal's eyes strayed back to the paper Zack had given him with the interested couple's contact information. He balled it up and tossed it into the trash bin across the room. He looked over at the beagle again. She was now cocking her head at him in her usual expectant expression. A small smile spread over his face.

"Let's go for a walk, Lucy."

She jumped up at the sound of her name, running toward the leash that was hanging by the door.

Angeal sighed with a smile, watching her take the leash off of the wall with her mouth and carry it over to him, dropping it at his feet. "I'm starting to think I have a soft spot for puppies…and you'd better not tell Zack that, either."

Lucy looked at him with those soft and sincere brown orbs. "Arf!"

_Please review, it shall make my day! And if you don't, my plot bunnies may stop working..._


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